James Kicinski-McCoy is a writer, specializing in creative marketing and branding, is a co-founder and editor of Mother Magazine, and co-owner of Two Son. She lives with her husband and four children in Nashville, Tennessee.

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COME SUPPORT A GOOD CAUSE WITH TIDE LOADS OF HOPE

08/16/2017

The back-to-school rush has officially begun at our household. My big kids went back early last week, and my littlest ones aren’t far behind starting in just a few days. I can hardly believe that Plum is a freshman and Julian a senior in high school. Where does time go? Like clockwork, we were able to get all the kids new clothes for the start of the school year, in addition to the usual supplies. This year, however, in order to make room for their new digs, the entire family rounded up old clothing for donation as a part of the Tide Loads of Hope campaign. A few months ago, Aubrey and I had our closet redone by California Closets. I’m going to be writing more about that process and share it with you soon, but as a part of this effort, we too, rounded up some of our clothes to be loved and worn by people in need. We truly couldn’t believe how many things in our closet hadn’t been touched in years! It was incredibly rewarding, and a true family affair.

If you aren’t already familiar, Tide Loads of Hope is a mobile laundromat founded twelve years ago in direct response to the destruction and catastrophe caused by Hurricane Katrina. It aims to restore a sense of normalcy to the lives of those in need by providing the comfort of clean clothing. The Tide Loads of Hope mission extends far beyond natural disaster relief, however. That said, this year the brand is hosting a clothing drive, called “Driving For Hope”, to mobilize their efforts further and get even more people involved. The Loads of Hope truck that is making five stops on a nation-wide tour. Nashville is one of those stops, along with Philadelphia, Miami, Dallas, and the west coast! Our family is incredibly excited not only to donate, but to dig in, and really get involved on the ground level. It’s easy to teach your kids about opening your heart and volunteering, but putting action behinds those lessons is another story.

That said, we’ll be dropping off our donations on the day of the event in Nashville on August 18th. If you’re interested in attending, the truck will be parked outside of Walmart (7044 Charlotte Pike) from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and word has it that country singer, Jessie James Decker, will be there between 10-11 a.m., as well. All collected clothing will be washed and the renewed items will then be donated to their new owners at Nashville Rescue Mission. So, if you’re looking for more ways to get involved, we hope to see you there with any unused or gently worn clothing. We’re really looking forward to helping our community with a fresh start and clean clothing, and teaching our kids more about giving to others.

If you can’t make it out to donate, you can support Tide Loads Of Hope by visiting TideLoadsofHope.com to donate directly or purchase a t-shirt, where $4 from each sale goes toward helping families affected by disaster.